Wet weather photography

click photo to enlarge
I'm not really an all-weather photographer. Some of my equipment is weather-sealed but by no means everything. Moreover, many of the subjects I choose don't particularly lend themselves to rainy days. However, I do like to take photographs in wet weather as this blog shows. I appreciate the reflections that these days bring, especially when the light levels fall in heavy showers and during the evening. My umbrella comes in handy at these times and so does my photographic assistant a.k.a. my wife.

But, I also like to take photographs from the car in wet weather. My fondness for blur and semi-abstract images is frequently rewarded by shots through the car windscreen. Today's photograph was taken after we'd dashed back to the car as a heavy shower enveloped us. The raindrops on the windscreen, the condensation from our wet hair and clothes, and the almost monochromatic world on view all appealed. Even more visually enticing was the fact that some drivers turned their lights on in the temporary gloom and added points and bands of strong colour that acted as highlights to the scene.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Photo Title: In The Rain Through The Windscreen
Camera: Sony RX100
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 37.1mm (100mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f4.9
Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec
ISO:320
Exposure Compensation: -0.3 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

The photographic attractions of rain

click photo to enlarge
The other evening we were in the Lincolnshire town of Louth. Unusually I wasn't there with photography in mind. However, I was carrying my pocket camera. As we walked up Eastgate, dodging the showers and occasionally pausing in closed shop doorways as the downpours intensified, I admired the reflections of the car headlights on the wet road, the glow from the street lamps and the brightness of the windows that were still lit. Those features, together with the light that remained in the cloudy sky, suggested a photograph and so I took several quick shots. This is the best of the bunch with its balanced composition achieved by the road and buildings leading from the main point of interest, the prominent car on the right, to the secondary point of interest,the church spire on the left.

As we continued to the business that brought us to the town I reflected on how something as unpromising, and often unwelcome and unpleasant, as rain can change a scene so that it becomes a much better subject for a photograph. It's essentially those reflections on the wet surfaces of the roads and pavements that effect the transformation, multiplying the highlights against the dark background. It reminds me of the way the sea or any stretch of water magnifies the power of a sunset.

Over the years I've found rain both a fruitful subject in itself and a great enhancer of a subject. Raindrops on the window pane can make a fascinating subject when paired with good light and an interesting background. So too can raindrops on leaves or flowers. And familiar subjects can be transformed when bright sunlight and fair weather is eschewed in favour of a downpour, even if you are sheltering under an umbrella at the time.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Camera: Sony RX100
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 24.1mm (65mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f4
Shutter Speed: 1/80
ISO: 1600
Exposure Compensation:  -1.0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Cars, styling and water droplets

click photo to enlarge
Elsewhere in this blog I've confessed to having little interest in cars except their price, utility, safety and economy. However, the way in which they are designed and styled does have a certain fascination for me, as much for the sociological and psychological reasons, as for the engineering and aesthetics angle.

The other day I was out shopping when the sight of a new Ford Fiesta set me thinking. In recent years Ford appear to have steered two divergent paths with their European models. The original Focus and Ka were styled to be different and eyecatching, but with the Mondeo and the newer Focus they opted for bland inoffensiveness. However, as I looked at the most recent incarnation of the Fiesta it occurred to me that this was styled as a "me too" car. By that I mean Ford's stylists had looked at the trends in small hatchbacks - the small Peugeots, Mazdas, Vauxhall/Opels, etc. and come up with a shape that says, "don't forget we've got one of those too!" It has the same "going fast when standing still" appearance, the elongated headlights, and the bodywork curves, bumps and flicks of the rest of the leaders of that market sector. I've always felt that "me too" is one of the two main approaches to car styling. The other is "look at me", a course that is adopted by all sectors of the market, though mainly the top and bottom - think Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW, but also Fiat Multipla (first incarnation), Kia Soul, Honda Civic (current), and Smart Fortwo.

But then, as I considered the Fiesta a little more I realised that it wasn't falling neatly into either of the two main categories of styling - it was aiming to be both "me too" and "look at me". Maybe that's the reason I'm not keen on it : it falls betwixt and between. Though I must say that, as far as I'm concerned, body styling that doesn't say "functional" before anything else rarely gets my vote, and never gets my money.

Today's photographs are two views of a Porsche Boxster S that regularly parks next to my house. Not the sort of vehicle I'd ever want, need or buy, but it clearly has appeal for my son. One morning, as I fed the birds, I noticed that the overnight rain was liquid on its bonnet and still frozen on its boot, so I popped back in for my camera and took these two quick shots for the colours, lines, lighting and textures that the car offered.

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Photo 1 (Photo 2)
Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 5.1mm (24mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/100 (1/200)
ISO: 80
Exposure Compensation: -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Pickups and bad styling

click photo to enlarge
When I first saw the Range Rover Sport I thought it the ugliest vehicle I'd laid eyes on. It seemed like the stylist had fashioned its form with a lump of wood and an axe, then tricked it out with details borrowed from the sort that are added to toy cars to make seven year olds part with their pocket money. Surely, I thought, this is the nadir of automotive styling. But then I saw the Audi Q7! With this car the designers apparently took a glob of dough, said, "Lets make everything BIG!", then for good measure connected it to a pump and inflated it even more. Its top-heavy, dodgem-car looks and over-fed demeanour achieved the seemingly impossible task of making the Range Rover Sport look stylish. Here, surely, was the low-point of vehicle looks. But I was wrong. The other day I saw a BMW X6, an automobile that looks like it's suffering from a personality disorder. Is it a luxurious saloon? Is it a sports car? Is it an off-road vehicle? It hasn't a clue! And neither have I! Like the "variety" stars of yesteryear, whose time has passed, it wants to be a bit of everything - all singing, all dancing, a little comedy patter, and an appeal to all ages. If it was an entertainer I'd say it should focus on comedy and ditch the rest of its act because when I saw it I had to suppress a smile - and I was laughing at it, not with it.

A smile also came to my lips when I passed this little old Morris Minor pickup in front of a house. I saw it on the same day that I saw the enormous BMW, and reflected that the world (and the roads) would be so much nicer if all vehicles were this sort of size and styled with this sort of cosy aesthetic. So often, it seems, big, boorish, styling seems to engender offensive, aggressive driving. There's probably a Toyota Aygo or Citroen C3 driver speeding around somewhere proving me wrong, but I have the feeling that the size of vehicles and the way we style them affects how they are driven. A few more "Postman Pat"-inspired cars on the road would be no bad thing!

Two final reflections. Firstly, I'm struck by how much my photograph looks like a model against a background set. The light when I took this shot was clear, strong, and at a good angle, and that, combined with the nicely refurbished Victorian semi-detached houses (remodelled into one dwelling) must account for it. Secondly, from what I've written you may think I'm interested in cars. Nothing could be further from the truth - I drive a small Honda that I chose principally on the grounds of economy and reliability. However, I am interested in the design and styling of cars, because I find the subject an endless source of interest and amusement.

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 5.1mm (24mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f4.5
Shutter Speed: 1/1000
ISO: 80
Exposure Compensation: -0.66 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Self-portrait in overrider

click photo to enlarge
Today's post is the latest of my reflected self-portraits - a bit of photographic fun. It was taken at the recent Bicker Steam Threshing weekend, and features the overrider of a 1967 Rover P5 Coupe, a tank of a car, that was the limousine of choice for government ministers and captains of industry in the "Swinging Sixties". This particular model was being shown alongside several other vintage and veteran cars.

As usual, I'm hidden behind the camera and lens, but my wife features quite well in the image. In fact we both feature twice because there's also a reflection in the bumper at the bottom of the image. Interestingly, in the top reflection my wife has the elongated proportions reminiscent of a supermodel or a clothes designer's drawing, whilst in the lower one the distortion makes her appear to be of a size more akin to one of the Munchkins in the "Wizard of Oz". Happily, in reality, she is perfectly proportioned!

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Olympus E510
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 40mm (80mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/500
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: -0.7 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Milk, choice and cars

click photo to enlarge
"Any customer can have a car painted any colour he wants, so long as it's black"
said of the Model T by Henry Ford (1863-1947), U.S. industrialist

A supermarket that I shop at sells various kinds of milk. Nothing wrong with that you might think; some prefer full cream and others skimmed. However, it's not that choice that puzzles me, rather it's the choice between two different kinds of semi-skimmed milk in cartons holding the same quantity. What's the difference between them? Well, one is quite a bit cheaper than the other. Now I'm used to being presented with choice in foodstuffs where the quality (and hence, price) is measurably different, but how does that work with milk? The sell-by dates are no different, the colour is the same, and both (presumably) conform to the quantity of fat that should be in this kind of milk. I've puzzled over this one for a while. Are the cows that produce the more expensive milk "a cut above", refined, aloof even, the sort that wouldn't say moo to a goose? Do they feed on only the sweetest grass and hand-picked fodder? Or is it just a crazy extension of the idea of choice into an area where it's plainly ridiculous? Is it a way of getting a few pence more from the pretentious who like to think that their cuppa is laced with milk that's a touch superior to that of the proles?

I think I'm one of many people who has got fed up with being offered too much choice. Do I really want to waste my life agonising over 30 different DSLRs that all take perfectly good photographs? Or compare the merits of one lemonade with the eight other offerings on the shelf? And don't get me started on potato crisps (chips): why do we need a complete aisle devoted to the many incarnations of this fat-laden snack? There are times when I think Henry Ford had it right - one colour for cars would suit me. In fact I've only ever owned red, blue and silver cars. These happen to be the commonest colors in the past few decades, and I read that silver outsells all others by a big margin at the moment. Just how much would we be missing if you could have any colour you wanted so long as it was silver? All your transport needs would still be met. But, I suppose the posing needs of some wouldn't be!

Today's photograph shows the residue of a rain shower on the metallic silver of my car - a colour that I alighted on quite incidentally because it was the only model the dealer had in stock. It looks like a particularly grainy image in need of noise suppression, but the dots are just the flecks in the paint that produce the metallic look.

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Olympus E510
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 35mm macro (70mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f11
Shutter Speed: 1/125 seconds
ISO: 200
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Mass-produced

click photo to enlarge

There seems to be a general feeling that "hand-made" objects are individual, high quality and expensive. And often they are. However, in many cases a better description is individual, shoddy and expensive. Conversely, mass-produced objects are frequently looked down on for their ubiquity, uniformity, low cost and low quality. Sometimes that's the case. However, it isn't always so!

Take cars. The very best examples of automotive design are invariably the less expensive, mass-produced small vehicles - the VW Beetle and Golf, Mini, Fiat 500, Toyota Corolla, Citroen 2CV, etc. These are the innovative and "different" designs that moved car construction forwards. The low volume Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Aston Martins, etc, that so many drivers lust after, may have a larger proportion of hand-assembly and finishing, and are certainly lavishly styled, but they are rarely good examples of design. What's more their reliability is usually considerably worse than that of their diminutive brethren. It's a fact that much of the best design of today is produced by designers working for industrial companies that make mass-produced objects - from hair-dryers to cafe chairs.

I was reminded of this when an indoor watering can costing 35 pence came into my home recently. It is made of a single piece of moulded plastic. The spout is simply an elongated groove, and the handle is part groove, part tapering tube. It's a design that is stackable, and is remarkably strong, its rigidity coming from the curves and folds that give it a very sensuous shape. More to the point, it performs its primary task wonderfully well - a great example of inexpensive, thoughtful, mass-produced design! As I looked at it the other day I saw a photograph in its swelling curves and tight folds, and gave it a shadowy, high contrast black and white treatment to emphasise these elegant and seductive qualities. The other reason I chose black and white is that I can't stand its lime-green colour!!!

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Olympus E510
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 35mm macro (70mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f8
Shutter Speed: 1/80
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: Off

No, no to retro!

click photo to enlarge

The success of the "new" Mini has been trumpeted in the press in recent days. It seems to be selling very well and production is to be increased. Commentators like it and, apparently, so do the car-buying public. I don't! My view of this car is the same as my thinking on the "new" VW Beetle - they are shams: pale imitations of the vehicles that they are designed to echo, and based on a corrupt design principle.

Alec Issigonis, the designer of the original Mini had a clear brief to make a small, mass-produced, inexpensive vehicle. He succeeded by being innovatory. The new car had to fit in a space 10 feet X 4 feet X 4 feet, the passenger cell had to be at least 6 feet long, and it had to use an existing engine. The designers came up with a monocoque shell, mounted the engine transversely, and gave it front-wheel drive. The wheels at each corner conferred great stability and handling, and the firm ride came from the use of rubber cones instead of conventional springs. Other innovations like welded seams, sliding windows and external hinges kept the cost down and contributed to a quirky and appealing aesthetic. Despite its cost being initially more than was intended people wanted to buy it, and it became a great success. By contrast the "new" Mini simply apes the appearance and details of the old car, and uses the same bog standard designs found on every new car. Retro and copyist styling of this sort shows lazy, bankrupt thinking. It's like building a mock-Georgian house in the twenty-first century. Why would you do it? People should build for now. They should create designs of their own time and push forward, not look back!

What, you're probably thinking, has this got to do with a shelter on the Blackpool's North Shore - all pediments, cartouches and ornate iron brackets. Well, new shelters have been built on the South Shore that completely disregard old designs of this sort. And, further up the coast new, modern shelters are appearing as part of Cleveleys' new sea-defences. No one thought for a moment to create shelters that looked like, or drew their inspiration from examples such as the one in the photograph. This shelter is of its time, is not without distinction, but certainly isn't of today. Car designers need to take note!

I took this shot on cold sunny day when the biting wind made a cliff-top walk a challenge rather than a pleasure. But that didn't stop the determined, two of whom I included in my image. I placed the shelter very slightly off centre to balance the people, and post-processed in contrasty black and white to emphasise the strong forms. The photograph was taken with a medium zoom lens at 36mm (35mm equivalent) with the camera set to Aperture Priority (f7.1 at 1/320 second), ISO 100, with -1.3EV.

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen